The DIY LED Backlit Bar

Our friend Eric of In Store Designer sent us this DIY project, showcasing the handiwork of creator "naggytaggy" and his LED backlit bar. Created out of LED Christmas lights and IKEA parts, he further embellished his design with some fiery decorations.

Firstly, we repainted the cupboard on the one side. Then I bought two custom cut linden shelves and the lighting which is a sort of by-the-meter christmas cord with LEDs (2m red, 2m yellow, 1m white) and then attached the cords to a piece of cardboard using sticky tape and yarn&needle. This was then stuck to the back of the wall with double-sided sticky tape. This is how it looks like when it's lit.

Since I couldn't find frosted glass anywhere, I opted for an IKEA solution and bought a desk pad made from some kind of flexible plastic - can't remember the material. It seemed kind of see-throughy when I bought it but as soon as I held it in front of the light I was able to see every single LED. I noticed that the simple kitchen paper role (don't know the English word) did a good job spreading the light but unfortunately it wasn't wide enough. I then bought some soft tissue which I glued to the desk pad using a spray-on glue from the can to reduce glueing marks which would have been easily visible. Taking the flame motive advice into account my girlfriend's job was to draw some neat flames and cut the soft tissue into shape - and she did a great job I think!